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- International Copyright Relations
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- The United States' international copyright relations
- are governed principally by the Berne Convention for the
- Protection of Literary and Artistic Works ("Berne"), to
- which more than 80 other nations adhere.
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- The United States is also a member of the Universal
- Copyright Convention (UCC) and has special bilateral
- relations with a number of foreign countries. Under the
- Berne Convention, works created by a national of a Berne
- Union country, or works first or simultaneously published
- in a Berne country, are automatically eligible for
- protection in every other country of the Berne Union,
- without registration or compliance with any other formality
- of law. This is true for works first published in the
- United States on or after March 1, 1989, the date on which
- the United States joined Berne. Works first published
- before March 1989 were protected in many countries by
- virtue of our membership in the UCC, if published with the
- formalities specified in that convention. Older works may
- also be protected as a consequence of simultaneous
- publication in a Berne country, or by virtue of bilateral
- obligations. In any event, the requirements and protection
- available vary from country to country and should be
- investigated before first publication anywhere.
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